MR-trackable intramyocardial injection catheter

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine 2004-06, Vol.51 (6), p.1163-1172
• Main Authors: Karmarkar, P.V., Kraitchman, D.L., Izbudak, I., Hofmann, L.V., Amado, L.C., Fritzges, D., Young, R., Pittenger, M., Bulte, J.W.M., Atalar, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Cardiac Catheterization - instrumentation; cardiac MRI; catheter tracking; Catheterization; Contrast Media; Dextrans; Dogs; Equipment Design; Ferrosoferric Oxide; Injections, Intralesional; interventional MRI; intramyocardial injection catheter; intramyocardial injections; Iron; iron oxide MR contrast agent; labeled stem cells; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetite Nanoparticles; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; Myocardial Infarction - pathology; Myocardial Infarction - therapy; Myocardium - pathology; Oxides; Phantoms, Imaging; Swine
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20086

There is growing interest in delivering cellular agents to infarcted myocardium to prevent postinfarction left ventricular remodeling. MRI can be effectively used to differentiate infarcted from healthy myocardium. MR‐guided delivery of cellular agents/therapeutics is appealing because the therapeutics can be precisely targeted to the desired location within the infarct. In this study, a steerable intramyocardial injection catheter that can be actively tracked under MRI was developed and tested. The components of the catheter were arranged to form a loopless RF antenna receiver coil that enabled active tracking. Feasibility studies were performed in canine and porcine myocardial infarction models. Myocardial delayed‐enhancement (MDE) imaging identified the infarcted myocardium, and real‐time MRI was used to guide left ventricular catheterization from a carotid artery approach. The distal 35 cm of the catheter was seen under MRI with a bright signal at the distal tip of the catheter. The catheter was steered into position, the distal tip was apposed against the infarct, the needle was advanced, and a bolus of MR contrast agent and tissue marker dye was injected intramyocardially, as confirmed by imaging and postmortem histology. A pilot study involving intramyocardial delivery of magnetically labeled stem cells demonstrated the utility of the active injection catheter system. Magn Reson Med 51:1163–1172, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.